Google focused on developing a $50 Project ARA modular phone

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Now that the Motorola ATAP team has been separated from the rest of the company currently headed to Lenovo and absorbed into Google, they have started updating everyone on the projects that came with them. Arguably the most important of those projects is the modular phone concept called ARA, which we now know is going to be a big focus for Google ATAP this year.

Project ARA is more than just a moonshot, and the idea is so compelling that it’s difficult to ignore. It requires adoption on a massive scale in order to make any sense at all, and that’s just in order to compete with what is currently offered to consumers. To address the many hurdles in front of this concept being a success, Google has announced three different conferences geared towards Project ARA. The first of these is planned for this spring and focuses on the release of a Module Developer Kit.

In order for a modular phone to be successful, there needs to be a platform where parts from many different manufacturers can be swapped in and out of a central frame. The idea is that you’d just upgrade your camera when you want a better unit, instead of buying a whole new phone. That only works if there are multiple camera options from multiple suppliers to choose from, which means hardware and software that allows for swapping without any additional work on the user end. Google’s plan appears to involve using these three conferences to slowly build that platform, so when ARA units are finally available there are plenty of options.

Google can use ARA to help address a global issue they have been slowly moving towards for years, which is making the smartphone so inexpensive that everyone can have one. In a recent interview with Time, it was explained that one of the first versions of the ARA system will be a $50 frame that offers a basic screen and WiFi capabilities. This frame could be expanded upon with any of the modules that are available over time, but the base frame could be something that’s available at every convenience store.

There’s still more than a few things in Google’s way that could stop this from being a widely adopted concept, but it’s clear that the company is willing to put some real resources behind it.

The first Module Developer Kits are expected to be available to those willing to explore this new concept in April, and that conference is expected to be almost entirely streamed so the rest of the world can participate.